Question

How do I help my baby drink from a sippy cup?

Share

I'm having trouble getting my 8-month-old to drink from a sippy cup. I've been trying to get him to drink formula, water, and diluted juice from it for about three months. He knows how to hold it and bring it to his mouth, he just doesn't know how to suck from the spout -- he chews on it instead. I took out the spill proof valve, but that didn't help. After a while he just gets mad and hits the cup. Help!

Mom Answers

My baby won't sip from a sippie cup he just chews on it and he gets mad and let's it go and it falls on him so he moves his legs and it falls on the floor. We pick it up and wash it off and the process restarts

You know this comment if for THE parent on here that say we use sippy cups as a crutch. I have 3 children my first two didn't use sippy cups THEY BOTH WALKED AND TALKED AT ONE YEAR OLD AND DRESSED THEMSELVES AT 16 MOHTS.. My third child is developmentally delayed to do the fact he had a chairi malformation and was unable to suck. He is three and he can't talk and still drools like a 9 month old. PLEASE BE CAREFUL HOW YOU WORD THINGS ON HERE. I HAVE TWO CHILDREN WITH HIGH IQ AND A CHILD THAT IS DEVELOPMENTALLY DELAYED. I CAN TAKE YOUR INSULTS, BUT THERE ARE MANY MOTHERS WHO WOULD READ YOUR RUDE COMMENTS AND GET VERY UPSET.

Skip the sippy. Just give him a tiny cup like a shot glass. I never gave my children sippy cups. Children who use sippy cups have more spill accidents when they are older because they havent figured out liquid spills.

My daughter never got the hang of spouted sippy cups. We got her used to straws, though, by giving her sips of water like a dropper out of our straws when we went out to eat. After that, she started getting the hang of sucking out of a straw, and now she uses a straw sippy cup. Other than that, you can try using just a regular cup, without the spout part, or a drink out of a regular water bottle [not a baby bottle] as long as you watch how far you tilt it.

My baby/toddler is 12-months now. I started introducing the sippy cup since he was about 9 months old. So far, the Nuk learner (sippy) cup seems to be the best, but he still hasn't figured out that he needs to tilt it to get the liquids. I've learned that straw cups are better over sippy cups for the child's drinking/speech skills. However, my baby hasn't figured out the straw concept and keeps batting it away. I'm also trying the old-fashioned straight-from-the-cup method, too. I think a parent has to just keep experimenting on what works, and at the same time, keep striving for the baby/toddler to drink straight from the cup--which is the ultimate goal, right? Also, realize that kids will accomplish this goal when THEY are ready.... Good luck to all moms/dads! :)

My daughter is 6 almost 7 months now and we started out with the "weening cup" that the local health dept gave us. She had to bite it to get the liquid out and this really confused her and made her mad. Lucky for me NUK ( the bottles we use) makes several stages of cups for your older baby all the way to toddler!!! She loves the learner cup and just started to use the next stage for 8mon+!! Gerber once again has saved me!

I've been trying to give my 8-month old the sippy cup for a couple of months now, no luck! She just doesn't want any part of it. A few days ago, she saw me drinking with a straw and she was curious, so I gave her the straw and she was able to get water out very easily. Then I went and bought cups with a very soft straw and juice boxes. The juice boxes are great because you can squeeze the juice out and help her understand what the straw is for. Plus you want to start with something that she likes, they usually don't like water so much. So then I put a little bit of juice with a lot of water in her new cup, I took off the return on the straw, and she would drink some every couple of hours. You must let her want it though and not frustrate her with it like I did with the sippy cup. Best of luck!

This Internet site provides information of a general nature and is designed for educational purposes only. If you have any concerns about your own health or the health of your child, you should always consult with a physician or other healthcare professional. Please review the Terms of Use before using this site. Your use of the site indicates your agreement to be bound by the Terms of Use.

This site is published by BabyCenter, L.L.C., which is responsible for its contents as further described and qualified in the Terms of Use.